


Untitled

by rennomiya



Category: Gintama
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-09-25 08:39:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9811634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rennomiya/pseuds/rennomiya
Summary: In which, Sougo will try to woo Kagura's son to get to her. Stepfather!Okita x SingleMom!Kagura. OkiKagu. Set in future 3Z AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've uploaded this on another site 3 years ago and decided on sharing this here. I've been working on the next chapter since then, and I hope I'll be able to finish it soon. Enjoy!

Stepping inside the boundaries of his old home, Okita Sougo felt nostalgia wash over him like a tsunami. Everything had been in the same place as he left it years ago, albeit dusty and some furniture gone. Turning his head to the right, he saw his old shoe rack—empty of its usual contents—and brushed his hand over the top, leaving his hand dusty.

He let out a heavy sigh as he proceeded on removing his shoes and entering his apartment unit where he used to go home to during his student years in town. Paying no mind to the dirty wooden floor, he took a peek at his old kitchen, now void of any appliances. His mind recalled where his stove used to be and the silverware that was once placed beside the sink, now empty with a few dust bunnies floating around. He walked over to the table and noticed that one side of it was cleaner than the other, thinking that Yamazaki might have eaten there not too long ago. The lone chair was also clean, indicating that indeed it was used a few days prior.

He had asked Yamazaki to look after this home once in a while after he left the country to go off in his Wandering Samurai scheme, also known as travelling-around-the-world-to-escape-from- _that_ -girl plan.

Leaving the kitchen, he went straight towards his old room across. As expected, it was as empty as the day it was built. The one thing that was inside the room was the dart board with a picture of Hijikata pierced with a slowly-rusting dart. He removed the dart and took Hijikata’s picture, noticing the many tiny holes around the picture. He smirked as he remembered the days he used it as his target practice.

His ears picked up a sound coming from the entrance door. A few seconds later, the knob was turned and in came his former classmate, Yamazaki Sagaru. The plain-looking guy beamed at the sight of his old companion and went near him. “It has been a while, Okita- _taichou_ ,” Yamazaki greeted with a sincere smile. The former spy still hadn’t dropped the name he used to call Okita in their high school years.

Okita Sougo merely nodded as a sign of greeting, recalling the days he had tortured the _jimi_ for fun. His lips turned up into a sadistic smile. Noticing the sadistic grin on his former captain’s face—and the picture of Hijikata in his hands—Yamazaki deduced that he still hadn’t changed and his sadism was still present in his personality, despite the seven years that passed. With a weak smile, Yamazaki said, “Okita- _taichou,_ why don’t we have a tour around town? It had been years since you were last here. A lot of things had changed over the past years.”

“Really now,” Okita was still a man of few words around the people he was not that close with. Gesturing, he made a move towards the entrance of the apartment, waiting for Yamazaki. The _jimi_ followed suit, and watched as Okita locked the apartment and both went out to the streets, ready for the tour.

“How’s Kondo- _san_ and the others from our school?” he asked, eager on hearing news about his former Disciplinary Committee president and the other members. The two walked side-by-side, with Okita staring far ahead.

“Kondo- _san_ has three kids now,” Yamazaki told him with a cheery smile. “Quite handful brats, if I do say so myself,” he added as an afterthought.

“Three? Kondo- _san_ must have been very pleased,” the sadist prince said, imagining the gorilla-man laughing wholeheartedly with his family. “Though I’m still wondering how the hell did _Nee-san_ give in and married him.”

“Kondo- _san_ is a pretty pursuing man… and behind his obsessive and stalking issues, he _is_ a pretty decent man,” Yamazaki explained to his sandy-haired friend.

“Well as long as he’s happy with that violent woman…” Okita trailed off, noticing the new establishments they passed by as they conversed. Indeed, just as Zaki said, a lot of things had changed in just a span of seven years.

“Is Gintama High still there?” Okita asked as he stared at the path leading to their former high school.

Yamazaki nodded. “It’s still there. In fact, Seita- _kun_ is now studying there,” he said.

“He’s graduating this year, isn’t he?” Okita said.

The plain guy nodded once more. “It makes me feel like I really am getting old,” he said with a hearty laugh as he scratched the back of his head. “Oh yeah, Tsukuyo- _sensei_ and _Danna_ also got married two years ago, finally. They had a baby boy last year.”

“ _Danna_ settling down with Tsukuyo- _sensei_ is not surprising. Although I thought they would have gotten together years ago,” Okita said, remembering their silver-haired lazy ass science teacher and the blonde health class teacher.

“Well, both were in-denial of their feelings for years…”

“How about you, Zaki?” Okita questioned suddenly, “Got a girlfriend yet?”

Immediately, Yamazaki’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. He was more than a little nervous as he shifted around, trying to find the right words to speak.

“I’m guessing you finally hit it off with Tama,” Okita said with a teasing smirk, sadism still present in his wine-red eyes.

Yamazaki stopped fidgeting around and meekly nodded his head once.

“Heh. Congratulations. Thirty-year-old Zaki finally gets himself a girlfriend for the first time ever,” he said, disguising his insult in a deadpanned tone, and giving him a thumbs-up with a look far from praising him.

“Please don’t say it like that,” Yamazaki mumbled quietly, suddenly feeling disappointed at himself for being a thirty-year-old virgin. Oh well, at least he was not alone—he thought as an image of Shimura Shinpachi flashed in his mind. Speaking of men in their thirties… Okita Sougo was one.

“At least I’m not a virgin,” Okita told him as if he had read Yamazaki’s mind. “I consider myself as a bachelor,” he bragged behind his usual emotionless face.

Yamazaki opened his mouth to mention _that girl_ when he decided against it and just tried to change the topic. “A-Anyway, Hijikata- _fukuchou_ is now a policeman. No surprise there.”

“… I know. _Aneue_ talked about him a lot of times in her e-mails,” Okita said, ignoring the awkwardness of the topic.

Yamazaki just forced a laugh since he knew that Hijikata and Mitsuba’s marriage was still a sensitive topic to the sadistic brother. However, the _jimi_ felt that somewhere along the way, his captain had accepted their relationship and although still in-denial, was a little happy for the two of them, especially his sister. “Anyway, aren’t you hungry? Why don’t we grab a bite? I know of a place where they serve good food. You remember Nishiki Ikumatsu? She has finally inherited her father’s ramen restaurant!”

“Ikumatsu?” Sougo thought that he heard that name somewhere before.

“You don’t remember her? She’s the feisty senior who can tame the rebellious Kats—” Yamazaki suddenly stopped as he noticed a certain vermillion-haired child standing not too far away from them, staring at the candies in a store with an obvious drool in his mouth.

Okita raised a brow at his companion’s strange behavior. He gazed at where Yamazaki was staring at and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of a very familiar blue-eyed monster.

* * *

A little boy around the age of five stared innocently back at the two grown men standing a few feet away from him. He instantly recognized the one on the right, as he had met with the plain-looking man several times before.  The one with him, however, was a complete stranger.

“H-Hi there, Kenichi!” Yamazaki greeted half-heartedly. The last thing he needed right now was to explain to his captain who the kid was and how he knew him. Of all the people they could bump into today, it had to be _him._ “W-Well we better go now since we’re in a hurry!” he said hastily and tried to walk past him, hoping that Okita would follow behind.

“ _Jimi,_ ” the kid called as Yamazaki was in parallel to him. Yamazaki turned to the vermillion-haired boy with a forced smile, his plan of escaping the awkward situation ruined. The young boy pointed towards the candy store. “Buy me Sukonbu,” he ordered the grown man rather rudely.

“U-Uhm, Kenichi… I still have something I have to do so…” Yamazaki stopped as he saw the glaring blue eyes of the younger boy. He looked back at Okita and saw that the sadist prince was thinking of something deep. His gaze fell back on the kid and he sighed in defeat. “F-Fine.”

Yamazaki bought Kenichi several boxes of Sukonbu, just as the spoiled brat ordered him to do. Hoping that the kid would leave him alone after that, he yanked the sandy-haired boy and gestured for them to leave as soon as possible.

After just a few steps away from Kenichi and the candy store, the young boy called him again. “ _Jimi!_ Thanks for the Sukonbu!” he told him before running off the opposite direction.

Yamazaki smiled weakly in return and proceeded on walking fast away from the little terror, fearing that the kid would follow them.

A small ray of hope told Yamazaki that Okita- _taichou_ wouldn’t ask about the kid, but knew that he was clinging into false hope. He wanted to avoid about that topic as much as possible that’s why he didn’t mention _that girl._

“The Sukonbu was a dead giveaway, Zaki,” Okita told him as soon as they were out of the kid’s earshot.

Yamazaki’s head lowered as he let out a deep sigh of defeat. “I just figured that maybe she can tell it to you herself,” he said.

“I…” Okita stopped, realizing he didn’t know what he should say. He inhaled after thinking of something. “Let’s just go to that ramen restaurant you told me about,” he changed the topic and went ahead of Yamazaki.

Yamazaki walked faster to catch up to him and led him the way to Ikumatsu’s ramen shop, a little glad that his captain didn’t press the matter.

Upon arriving at the place named Hokutoshinken Ramen (1), Okita Sougo was instantly greeted by a dreadfully familiar face. The silky long black hair and idiotically serious expression didn’t change a bit. “Katsura,” Okita spoke of the other man’s name upon recalling their cat-and-mouse days in Gintama High.

“ _Shinsengumi,_ ” the word fell out of Katsura’s mouth, making Sougo remember the way the Disciplinary Committee used to address themselves. “So you’re back,” Katsura added as he gestured the two of them into an empty table.

“I’m surprised you’re still not a terrorist,” Okita said casually as he and Yamazaki sat down on the table where Katsura led them to. He observed the place and saw that it barely had any customers despite the delicious smell of ramen wafting through the place. “And I’m even more surprised that you’re a waiter here.”

“I co-own this place,” Katsura told him, and Okita gaped in surprise.

“Okita- _taichou,_ ” Yamazaki began, looking back at Katsura and Sougo nervously, “Katsura and Ikumatsu are married, and they are expecting a baby soon.”

Katsura grinned, proud of himself. “Yes, that is true.”

“… Okay.” Frankly, Sougo didn’t expect that he would meet Katsura Kotarou first than Kondo- _san_ and Hijikata- _san._ And he also didn’t expect—or thought of—him getting married to someone and owning a fairly decent ramen shop instead of joining factions opposing the government. “What else should I expect? _Megane_ married to that popstar?” he asked sarcastically.

Yamazaki shook his head. “Reality hasn’t been twisted that way yet.”

Katsura cleared his throat, gaining the two’s attention again. He asked them of their orders, and after taking them, he disappeared inside the counter of the shop, where his wife was probably cooking.

While waiting for their orders, Yamazaki awkwardly played with the glass of water that Katsura brought them earlier. He was expecting his captain to ask about China-girl sometime soon, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to escape. He prepared himself for the questions he would have to answer. Surprisingly though, _taichou_ still hadn’t uttered a word about her, or the kid they met earlier.

As Okita opened his mouth to speak, Yamazaki gulped nervously, anticipating the worst. “So that kid’s China’s son, huh? And to think she named it based on my _seiyuu_ (2),” he commented rather impassively. Which made Yamazaki think that the sadist was trying to hide what he was really feeling deep inside.

“U-Uh y-yeah…” cold sweat ran down _jimi’s_ back, foreseeing the next question that would most likely roll off Okita’s mouth.

“Who is…”

Yamazaki wanted to bang his head on the wall to knock himself out, just to escape from Okita- _taichou’s_ question.

“… the fath—”

“Order up!” a woman’s voice boomed behind Yamazaki as four-months-pregnant Ikumatsu appeared with Okita’s order in hand. The woman grinned knowingly at the two of them before placing the bowl of ultra-hot spicy ramen on the table. “Since you’re a _good friend_ of my idiot husband, today’s lunch is on the house. Zaki,” she turned to Yamazaki with a smirk, “We need an extra hand. Mind if you help us at the kitchen?”

That time, Yamazaki wanted to kiss Ikumatsu’s feet as gratitude for saving his life. He could almost see the woman sparkling. He nodded without a second thought and muttered a small apology to his companion. The two went back to the kitchen, leaving the sandy-haired sadist alone in the table.

“Sneaky,” Okita mumbled as he began eating the bowl of ramen in front of him. “Why’s he so eager in avoiding the question anyway?” he asked himself as he continued on eating. This made him more curious on who the father was. He tried to remember the face of the child again, and racked his brain for anything that would give him a clue on the possible father. To no avail, the child looked completely like his mother.

The girl with vermillion-colored hair and innocent oceanic blue eyes appeared in his mind. His lips curved into a nostalgic smile.

After he was done eating, he dropped his chopsticks on the side, pushed his chair back as he stood up, and bid a quick farewell to the three people inside the kitchen, whom he knew were closely watching him.

“Did he ask any more questions?” Ikumatsu asked Yamazaki, who was peeking through the corner of the wall with her, as soon as Okita was out of the shop.

Yamazaki shook his head and heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you again for saving me from his prying questions, Ikumatsu- _san_ ,” he offered a smile of appreciation towards the flaxen-haired woman.

Ikumatsu crossed her arms over her chest and smiled meaningfully. “It’s nothing. After all, it _is_ pretty awkward getting in between those two’s business. Especially now that he knew his rival has a son.”

“If he wants to know more about Leader and mini-Leader, then he should ask her directly. That is the way of a samurai,” said Katsura, who was standing on another corner of the room, looking as if he was the wisest man on the world.

“What does being a samurai have to do with this?” Ikumatsu rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip. “You’re always spouting nonsense,” she clicked her tongue and walked towards the table where Okita sat a few minutes ago. She pulled out a wash cloth and cleaned the table.

“I wasn’t spouting nonsense,” Katsura told himself with a reassured nod, “But if that’s how you see it Ikumatsu- _dono_ , then so be it.”

Yamazaki laughed quietly as he watched the two lovebirds’ quarrel. The two of them looked as if they were an old married couple already. Oh wait. They are. “W-Well,” Yamazaki stuttered as he walked towards the entrance of Hokutoshinken. “I better go. I was planning on touring Okita- _taichou_ around some more but because of circumstances, I guess I should be heading home.”

Just as Yamazaki was about to slide the door open, Ikumatsu’s hand shot out and prevented the door from moving. Yamazaki gawked curiously at Ikumatsu, seeing the older woman’s menacing grin. “And who said I’ll let you off that easily?” she grabbed Yamazaki’s shoulder with her free hand and patted it, “I didn’t save you earlier for free, you know.”

“E-Eh?” The plain-looking man paled as Katsura walked towards him with Hokutoshinken’s uniform in hand.

“You will be helping us in the shop today, just as Ikumatsu- _dono_ said before,” Katsura said as he dropped the uniform on Zaki’s head.

“Hurry up and wear it. Lunch rush is about to start~” Ikumatsu singsong-ed as she disappeared back into the kitchen again.

Feeling deceived and ashamed of himself, Yamazaki dropped on the ground in fours; Katsura watching him with his default expression.

“Free labor is always the best,” Katsura told him with a slight nod of his head.

* * *

Okita strolled around town thoughtlessly. A few familiar streets here and there, and a couple of new shops and establishments across the street; it felt as though he was a foreigner lost in a strange land. But alas, this was not the case. He was simply a grown man who happened to return back to his old hometown, where he spent most of the years of his life. Therefore, he couldn’t stop the good and bad memories from his past to appear in his mind.

His feet halted as soon as he was in parallel to a rather familiar street that leads to a certain person’s house. He contemplated on taking a turn, remembering how Yamazaki nervously avoided telling him about China’s husband. Perhaps he knew the person she married? Maybe that’s why Yamazaki didn’t want to tell him who the guy was. And maybe, he also didn’t want to find out who the father was.

Making up his mind, Okita turned away from the street and proceeded on walking straight ahead.

“You were just about to take a turn here, weren’t you?” a young boy’s voice broke his train of thoughts... and his growing avoidance of the matter. Okita wasn’t surprised to see Kenichi staring at him with his big blue prying eyes, a piece of sukonbu dangling from his mouth.

“No,” he responded and began walking away.

Kenichi’s head turned right, staring far ahead at the street where his house was located. He turned his head back at the walking man, feeling quite wary of him. The sandy-haired man knew Yamazaki, who happened to be his Mami’s former classmate—that idea fuelled his doubts more.  “Hey!”

Okita didn’t even look at him and continued on walking away from the little man.

The vermillion-haired boy visibly pouted at the way the older man ignored him. He wanted respect, despite being only five years old. His Mami taught him to punish imbeciles who do not even acknowledge him ( _he did not know what_ imbecile _means, he obeyed his mother’s advice nevertheless)_. He quickly paced towards the older man and gave him a swift kick in the back of his knees.

Sougo flinched at the strength of the child. Clearly, the child had inherited his mother’s monstrous strength. “ _Honestly,”_ he thought with irritation, “ _he’s a carbon copy of his mother!”_ He turned around and glared at Kenichi who was looking at him smugly. Another trait in which Okita could prove the blood relation of the child to the female glutton

“Glad you’re finally acknowledging my greatness,” Kenichi said, his head held up high and his arms crossed over his chest. He loudly laughed in victory afterwards.

“You act like an old man, kid,” Sougo said as he took in Kenichi’s expression—which greatly reminded him of his mother’s smug appearance. “I see you really _are_ China’s son. No doubt there. Violence is always her answer.”

Kenichi’s laugh promptly stopped and he gaped at Okita with wide eyes. “I was right. You do know Mami!” He eyed Okita fiercely. “What is your relationship with her? Answer me truthfully or I’ll kill you.”

The frequent abrupt changes on his expression somewhat reminded Sougo of Shimura Shinpachi and China combined. Okita smirked evilly at the young man. “Sorry kid. My _special_ relationship with your mother is none of your business,” he said sadistically, not caring whether he would come out as ‘ _Home-wrecker_ ’ in the child’s eyes.

Kenichi rolled his eyes, not believing what Sougo said. “My Mami will _never_ cheat on Papi, even if her life’s on the line. She is not capable of such impotence,” he said with oozing confidence.

“Are you sure you’re not an old man disguised as a five-year-old brat?” questioned Sougo while squatting down to Kenichi’s level.

“Are you an idiot? Of course I’m not an old man! How can I be an old man?” shouted Kenichi angrily. He then smiled conceitedly. “You could say I’m a child prodigy instead.”

“Child porridge?”

“No, prodigy.”

“Prodigal son?”

Kenichi stomped his foot as he finally snapped. “Child pro-di-gy! What is wrong with you?! You did that on purpose to annoy me, didn’t you?”

Okita smirked at the kid as he watched him throw tantrums around. Behind all those cocky words and actions, he really was _just_ a child. Typical of China’s son to act all high and mighty behind all of his ignorance, and also the thread-like thinness of his patience. “ _Even their personality’s the same, huh?”_ he thought as he stared at the crystalline blue sky longingly.

“The hell’s that expression for?” Kenichi snorted.

Okita shook his head before saying a mumbled, “It’s nothing”, and stood up, hands inside his pockets. “So, tell me,” he hesitated asking any further, but words flowed out of his mouth uncontrollably, “Who is your father, and how is he?” Surprisingly, he didn’t even feel any regret. His eyes were blank and he felt neutral…

_Just like that day at the train station…_

“Ah, I knew it,” he accusingly glared at the sadist, “You _are_ trying to get between my Mami’s legs.”

Okita bumped Kenichi’s head in a scolding manner. “Watch your mouth, old man. A boy your age shouldn’t even be aware of things like **** and ****. How can you kiss your mother with that mouth, you bastard. **** **** **** you ****.”

Kenichi held his aching head and shouted, “You’re the one who should watch his mouth! That hurts!”

“And no, I’m not trying to get in between your mother’s legs. That’s disgusting,” Sougo stated with a sickened look as he covered his mouth with his hand.

“Then what the hell do you want with her?”

“I don’t want anything with her. If I recall correctly, I was asking about your father,” Sougo deadpanned.

“My Mami’s really pretty, you know. That’s why a lot of suitors are after her.”

“I _said_ I _wasn’t_ asking about your mother.” Sougo poked Kenichi’s forehead with his index finger, an empty look in his red-wine eyes.

“Normally, I wouldn’t bother finding out who you are and what your relationship with Mami is, but seeing that you’re a… _fairly_... good-looking man, I figured that I should interrogate you first before letting you meet her,” Kenichi told him as he crossed his arms after he removed Sougo’s hand from his face.

“I am assuming you are not planning on telling me about your father at all. Very well. I’ll leave now.” The sadist prince began striding away from the little monster. After a few steps, he stopped and blankly stared at Kenichi, noticing he was trailing after him, “Don’t follow me.”

“Where are you going?” Kenichi persisted as he tagged behind Sougo, who began marching faster away from him.

“Nowhere. Leave me alone.” Sougo tottered faster.

“Why do you want to know about Papi so much anyway?” Kenichi inquired casually as he placed his hands behind his head, in par with Sougo’s increasing speed.

“…” Okita didn’t know how to answer that, so he just opted on ignoring the four-foot monster speed-walking after him. Eventually, the two found themselves sprinting.

A few feet away from the sidewalk they were currently having a race on, a bald man inside a police car watched them intently with apprehensive eyes directed at the sandy-haired man. He held his radio closer to his mouth. “Vice-commander, I have found a suspicious man with China’s son, over.”

_“Kidnapper? Over.”_

“Perhaps, over.”

_“Follow him then. Make sure you’re discreet, over.”_

“Roger, over.”

Harada Unosuke stepped on the pedal of the car and silently followed the sadist prince and mini-China.

* * *

Hijikata Toushiro, now aged 35 and still good-looking, huffed a smoke as he took out his mobile phone. He was sitting on his chair inside the Headquarters Office and just finished recording Harada’s report. Of all the people kidnappers could target, it _had_ to be that monster girl’s son. Frankly, he was scared for the criminal if ever China-girl finds out about it. And of course, Kenichi wasn’t someone to be taken lightly off either. Despite his young age, he could pummel down men thrice his size; a trait he evidently got from his vigorous mother.

_Poor, poor kidnapper._

He dialed a few buttons on his phone before bringing it closer to his ear. The demonic vice-commander, regardless of knowing China for years, still didn’t know how to approach her properly. In fact, no one from the Shinsengumi does. They tend to avoid her as much as possible. Yet ironically, even though they treat her as a violent, loud-mouthed monster, they still treat her as a girl… at times.

“ _I’m busy,”_ came the seething voice from the other end of the line. “ _This better be important or I’ll ban mayonnaise from the planet.”_

“You should know that I, of all people, would only call when I need to. No need to—”

“ _I get it, I get it. Just get to the point, Mayora.”_

“I just got a report from one of my subordinates. Your kid is either in trouble, going to be in trouble, or have taken care of the trouble,” said Hijikata as he sandwiched the phone between his shoulder and ear, used to her rudeness and name-call. He moved to his computer on his desk and started typing rapidly, where it was seen in the screen the map of Kabuki district. “We still don’t know if it’s a criminal, but just to be sure, I ordered Harada to track them. Oh, wait—I just received a new report from Harada. They’re on the way where you work.”

The woman sighed heavily; he heard. _“Of all the people to target, and of all the places to go to.”_

“Just thought I should give you a heads up. I sent some files and data in your phone,” Hijikata said as he finished typing something in his computer and rested his back on his chair. “The red blinking dot in the middle of your screen marks where Harada is currently located.”

The woman stared at the screen of her phone that alerted her of new files being sent to it, and just like the mayo-man said, it suddenly featured a small map of Kabuki district and a red blinking dot that was moving in fair speed. Harada was nearing her workplace, apparently. “ _Are you commanding me to capture the criminal myself? Who do you think I am?”_

What Hijikata heard next was the beeping sound of his phone, notifying him that the woman ended the call. He knew that the woman would take out anyone that would try to harm her son. And he also knew that she was the type of person that wouldn’t take orders from anyone, save from the silver-haired ass and the gorilla-woman of course. It must have irritated her to get ordered around by him.

_“V-Vice commander… this is patroller 421, over,”_ he heard Harada’s voice from the radio. The bald man sounded frightened and feeble.

“What is it, over.”

_“The man isn’t a kidnapper or any sort of criminal… I have confirmed it, over.”_  

“H-HUH?!” Hijikata snapped. _Great._ Now he would have to apologize to the man involved for the misunderstanding if ever the mother beat him into a pulp. And maybe give him a bribe or two. _What a pain in the ass._

He hated admitting it, but he was also an overprotective uncle to Kenichi. The child almost grew up with them, that was why he would jump into sudden conclusions when he was involved. Something he rarely does as a police officer. Besides, China wouldn’t just attack someone who was seen with her son, would she? So there was still a huge possibility that she wouldn’t do anything to the innocent man. No biggie. Problem solved. “Fuck, I just sent China infor—Nevermind. Who is it then? And what’s he doing with Kenichi? Over.”

_“It’s Okita Sougo… and they’re talking about Kenichi’s father… over.”_

“… Double fuck…

… over.”

* * *

As hurriedly as he can, the Demonic Vice-Commander left his office and out of the Headquarters to get inside one of the patrol cars parked in front of the station.  He started the engine and turned the siren on. He stepped on the pedal as hard as he can and the car practically flew on the streets of Tokyo.

“Fuck this shit. Why oh why?!” he yelled from inside the car, not caring if any of the civilians will hear him; the car window was open after all. “Of all the people… of all the places… DAMN IT!”

As he was speeding away and ignoring all the stoplights he passed by, a random person who was crossing the street appeared in his vision. Panic-stricken, the raven-haired officer swiveled the wheel to the left, and he ended up bumping the car on one of the shops. He stepped out of the car to see if the person he almost ran over was all right.

His cigarette fell off his mouth the moment he saw the person he almost killed.

“T-T-T-Toushi! How could you?!” Kondo Isao, who looked as if he was just finished buying groceries, was on the cemented floor, snot and tears visible from his face.

“I’ve got no time for this!” Hijikata yelled loudly and immediately got back inside the police car, ignoring the angry owner of the shop he destroyed. He started the engine again but he was stopped when Kondo jumped on the (ruined) hood of the car. “What the hell, Kondo- _san_?! Get off!”

“Don’t you care about me anymore? Is that why you tried to kill me? Was I really a bad leader?!” Kondo ugly-cried desperately; his hands on the windshield. “Is wherever you’re going to really much, much more important than your poor Commander?”

“This is not the time for this!” An angry vein sprouted from the vice-commander’s forehead. “If you’re not going to get off there, just get in here quick!”

Kondo promptly kicked the windshield causing the glass to shatter into pieces. Hijikata could only gape at what his commander had done. “I said to get in here quickly, but not _that_ quick! Do you enjoy destroying police cars that much?! Who would explain this to the higher-ups?!” Hijikata screamed at the man who sat comfortably next to him.

“Relax Toushi. I’ll do the explaining,” Kondo said, tears and snot disappeared from his face completely. He put his seatbelt on and patted the Vice-Commander’s shoulder with a blindingly-bright smile and a thumbs-up.

“Were you just acting back there? Were the ugly-crying and desperate pleas just an act?”

Kondo waved his hand in an attempt to change the topic. “So, where are we off to?”

“Oh shit! I almost forgot!” Hijikata rapidly stepped on the pedal again. The police car zig-zagged on the sidewalk (causing more collateral damage) before landing on the street, as he desperately tried to get on Kabuki district before the world ends.

Kondo Isao held onto Toushi for dear life. The latter’s reckless driving was close to giving the gorilla-man a heart attack. “Y-Y-Y-You’re too fast! I still have a family to go home to! I don’t want to die!”

“Sougo’s here,” Hijikata said as he turned the car to the right. The car screeched and the people around them ran away, afraid that they would get run over.

“I-I know that! Yamazaki was supposed to meet him, wasn’t he? And Yamazaki was supposed to bring him to the Station to see us! Now slow down!” Kondo said in between frightened screams.

“He’s with Kenichi. And I sent China to him accidentally because I thought it was a criminal trying to kidnap Kenichi,” Hijikata said with his eyes twitching from distress. Obviously, the nicotine-addict regretted telling China about that. He learned his lesson. Next time, he would definitely, definitely, confirm the identity of the person first before assuming… or informing… the violent mother.

“Eh?” Kondo’s screams halted. “K-Kenichi? A-As in Kenichi- _kun_? As in…”

“China’s son.”

“STEP ON IT TOUSHI! WE MUSN’T LET THOSE THREE MEET!”

* * *

Just like what Sougo expected, the kid was still following him around like a bee attracted to honey. He was sure that Kenichi was only doing it to annoy him, and he could only congratulate the kid because he was definitely more than pissed right now. He was already sprinting as fast as he could and the mini-monster behind him, despite his shorter legs, could match up to his speed.

He was close to kicking him away. Very close.

“Stop following me you little demon,” Okita deadpanned despite his growing anger.

“Hah, no way!” Kenichi cockily grinned. “If I take my eyes off you then you might do something dirty to my Mami.”

“I promise I won’t. Just go away. I’ll give you 300 yen, come on.”

“I don’ wanna!”

“People will think that I’m a human trafficker with what you’re doing.”

“Kidnapper, prepare to die!” Kenichi and Sougo heard a yell from the distance.

As the two continued running, Sougo noticed a woman with a drop-dead gorgeous body standing in the middle of the sidewalk meters away. She was probably the one who just yelled accusations at him. He squinted his eyes to take a better look since the woman standing in the way had a very familiar-looking shade of vermillion hair dancing with the wind. She was clad in a sleeveless shin-length cinnabar quipao with gold trimmings and side slits reaching to her thigh. As he neared her, the woman’s face gradually registered in the sadist prince’s mind.

After he was no more than ten meters from her, the woman had positioned herself in a battle stance, making Sougo wonder what she was going to do. And just as he was about to pass her, the woman knocked him down with a smooth swing of her right arm through his throat. His speed, plus the impact of the woman’s monstrous strength was enough to make him lose air and passed out instantly.

He dropped on the ground, head first. Before he lost consciousness though, he caught a glimpse of her oceanic blue eyes.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Kenichi stopped sprinting as soon as the man he was following dramatically dropped on the ground. He looked at the woman who attacked the man. “Mami!” Kenichi called happily, recognizing his mother. He skipped towards her and gave her a warm hug, which she returned with a loving pat on the head.

Kagura, now a 26-year-old beauty, stepped on Sougo’s torso with her pointy high-heeled shoe digging on her victim’s clothes as a form of victory pose. She smirked conceitedly. “That’s what you get for trying to kidnap my cute son, bastard.” 

When she took a closer look at him, she realized who her unfortunate victim was. Memories rushed through her head rapidly, both good and bad ones. “Wait. You’re…”

“… Sougo!  Oh no! We were too late!” Kondo cried out from the patrol car that just screeched to a stop close to them.

The two Yatos turned their heads to look at the three newly arrived police officers, who just stepped out of the car to see if their sadistic companion was still alive. Kagura removed her foot from Sougo’s chest and crossed her arms over her voluptuous chest as Harada (who was the root cause of all of this), Kondo and Hijikata kneeled next to the unconscious sandy-haired man. “I never heard he’s coming back today,” said Kagura impassively as she shifted her weight on one leg.

Hijikata clenched his fists to calm himself down because he felt that he was gravely responsible for this adverse encounter. “Y-Yeah. We we’re planning to tell everyone in a reunion,” he replied as he watched Kondo fussing over Sougo.

“Oh…” Kagura cleared her throat awkwardly. “Who would’ve thought that he would become a kidnapper.”

“You’re wrong!” Kondo screamed exaggeratedly, snot dangling from his nose like Tarzan, “You’ve got it all wrong, China-girl! This man is innocent!”

Kagura looked confused. “But Mayora said that—”

“It was a mistake,” Hijikata confessed, standing up and facing her properly. “False alarm.” He seriously wanted to slap Harada for his stupidity. How could he not recognize the man he knew for so many years?! Then again, the mayo-man was also at fault.

Kagura’s brow twitched. “You disturbed my work for this?!” she pointed towards the fainted man and stomped her feet. “Do you know that I have to arrange a lot of things before customers come in tonight?!”

“Yeah, yeah. I apologize for that.” Hijikata shifted his gaze to Kenichi who was clutching Kagura’s Chinese dress. “Why don’t you tell us what really happened, Kenichi? And why were the two of you playing tag in the middle of the street?”

“We weren’t playing tag. I was following him around,” Kenichi answered truthfully.

“Why were you following him?” It was Kagura’s turn to ask.

“Because I found out that he’s Mami’s former classmate. I have to make sure he doesn’t have any special relationship with her,” the child said after a few moments of hesitation. “D-Did I do something bad…?” he asked downheartedly.

Hijikata and Kagura paused and stared at Kenichi’s puppy-dog eyes for a while before letting out a long, deep breath of resignation in unison. Kagura squatted down and patted her son’s head with an affectionate and considerate smile. “No, you didn’t. You were a very good boy.”

Kenichi grinned widely like a child his age would and cuddled Kagura. Kagura wrapped her arms around her son and carried him as she stood up. She looked at Hijikata and voiced out her complaint, “What do you tax robbers plan on doing now? You can’t arrest me since this is your fault in the first place.”

“Yeah I know. We’ll just bring him to the station and get him treated there.” Hijikata scanned Sougo and saw where the damage was. Namely, his throat. “What did you do to him? It looks as if he was strangled by a grizzly bear.”

“Hmph!” Kagura simply walked back to her workplace with Kenichi still in her arms. Kenichi watched the unconscious man with uncertainty until they were out of sight.

* * *

Sougo instantly identified the woman who had violently attacked him. They used to be together most of the time during their youthful years. They never got along but at the same time they knew and understand each other better than most people close to them. She knew how he thinks of things and vice versa. That mutual understanding was the reason why they always fought. He believed that a person loathes the person most similar to him because he sees his negative traits on him.

Seeing those blue orbs at the last second before everything turned black triggered every memory he had with her. He hadn’t seen that shade of blue eyes for seven years. Strangely, he didn’t miss it. He thought he would, but he didn’t.

His chest didn’t even jump in excitement seeing her.

_Why,_ he wondered.

Then her son’s face entered his mind. He concluded that the child was the primary reason he didn’t miss her. In fact, he felt as though he didn’t even want to see her anymore. She already had a family of her own. There was no room for him anymore. She was happy.

His body involuntarily twitched. Full consciousness finally kicked in and he felt a sharp pain on his throat. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the white fluorescent light on the equally-white ceiling. His vision cleared and he wondered where on earth he was.

He looked around, seeing he was lying on a blue couch. He saw a computer on top of an office desk across him and a bookshelf on the corner of the room. There was also a pot of plant next to it and a foldable chair propped on the wall next to the door. He sat up and rubbed his aching neck. Frankly, he marveled how he was still alive after that vicious attack. He basically lost oxygen with what she did.

When his eyes landed on the door—as if on cue—a person walked in holding a bowl of Katsudon covered in mayonnaise. No wait, scratch that. It should be called a bowl of mayonnaise with bits of food in it instead.

“I see you’re awake. How’s your day?” Hijikata strode to his desk and sat on his chair. He dropped the bowl of dog food on his desk and stared at him.

“Can’t complain,” Sougo answered while stretching his back. He sat up properly and eyed the bowl of dog food with disgust. “Don’t tell me you’re going to feed me that dog food?”

Hijikata split his chopsticks in half and began eating his bowl of food à la mayonnaise. “Nah, man. This one’s for me. Your dog food’s over there.” The Demonic Vice-Commander pointed to a tray of food that was on the floor next to the couch.

“… No thanks,” he said, seeing that it was a tray of mayonnaise rather than a tray of food. “But you just admitted that mayonnaise is dog food there, didn’t you?”

Hijikata immediately changed the topic. “I thought Yamazaki was going to bring you here at the station to see us after you meet in your apartment? What happened to that good-for-nothing bastard?” he asked while gobbling down his comfort food.

“He was eager on evading my questions so he made up an excuse and worked at Katsura’s ramen restaurant and left me.”

“Tsk. That coward.”

The door flew open and Kondo came in looking for Sougo. A huge smile spread on his face after seeing that Sougo was awake and looking well. “I’m so happy you’re all right! I was so worried about you!” He playfully locked his arms around Sougo and gave him a fatherly pat on the head. “Everyone misses you! They’re raring to go here so they could see you!”

Sougo admitted that he missed Kondo- _san’s_ paternal affection and unknowingly, a smile spread across his face amidst the gorilla’s suffocating hug. “I missed everyone, too,” he choked.

“That’s great! We actually hosted a reunion party for you this weekend! Everyone’s going to come, even our teachers from Gintama High!” an enthusiastic Kondo said. He finally released Sougo from his bear hug.

“Wow. Even Ol’ Matsudaira?”

“Yup! That DOM still chases after girls in miniskirts!” Kondo joked with a wholehearted laugh.

“Speaking of chasing after girls, it seems you’re still getting along with China even after all these years of no communication whatsoever,” spoke Hijikata out of the blue.

“You call her almost killing me ‘ _getting along’_?” said Sougo sarcastically.

“That’s how you two always act when you were in high school, so it’s still a healthy relationship!” Kondo said positively. “But seriously, I never thought that you would meet her son this early. To be honest, we were trying not to let you meet him until the reunion party.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I have already met him. He’s exactly like China. I won’t be surprised if he could already carry a bulldozer at his age,” replied Sougo. Then, his gaze dropped on the tiled floor and thought of asking Hijikata- _san_ and Kondo- _san_ about China’s husband. He hesitated with a sigh.

Hijikata dropped his now-empty dog food bowl and chopsticks on his desk. As if reading the sandy-haired man’s mind, he asked, “You want to know who Kenichi’s father is?”

Instead of acting surprised, Sougo closed his eyes knowingly. He really couldn’t hide anything from these two, could he? He slowly nodded his head and waited for their answer.

“Sougo, what would you do when you find out who he is?” Kondo asked, looking a bit worried.

“Nothing. I won’t do anything. I just want to know who the unlucky bastard is,” Sougo responded as he leaned back on the couch. He knew he was still not ready on hearing about the man who made a family with China, but there are things in life that had to be known, even if it hurts.

“Well then, let me just tell you that he’s someone you don’t know.”

Sougo would have breathed out a sigh of relief had he not suppressed it.

Kondo and Hijikata looked at each other for a while, as if talking through their minds. Their unspoken agreement ended when they both stood up and headed for the door, gesturing for Sougo to follow them. The youngest one in the room, confused at first, obliged and followed them to a police car (that was not wrecked) and silently let them drive him to an unknown place.

“Where are we going? Hijikata- _san?_ Kondo- _san_?” he asked as he noticed that the farther they go, the fewer people were on the streets.

“We’re going to let you meet China—I mean Kagura’s—husband,” Hijikata said with a casual puff of smoke.

Taken aback, Sougo’s body stiffened. He didn’t want to meet her husband; he just wanted to know who he is! He was not ready for this! “W-Wait! Kondo- _san,_ I—”

“It’s best if you meet him and find out his name on your own instead,” Kondo declared, giving him a reassuring smile.

Sougo, if he was an M and suicidal, would have jumped off the car right then and there. But he wasn’t, so he didn’t. He only let out a heavy sigh of defeat and slumped back on the backseat of the car. “Fine.” He trusted his two companions—mostly Kondo- _san_ —so he just let the two do whatever they think was right.

About half an hour of discomfiting silence later, they arrived at a secluded area Sougo knew was familiar. Hijikata parked the car near the entrance of the city graveyard.

The three stepped out of the police car and upon seeing where they were, Sougo’s eyes shot up. “Kondo- _san…_ Hijikata- _san…_ don’t tell me…”

The two nodded their heads.

Sougo looked at both of them in the eyes. “China’s husband is a gravedigger?”

Hijikata bumped Sougo’s head and scolded him. “Don’t act dumb! Come on!” The raven-haired man hauled Sougo inside the graveyard.

The whole place was silent. They only saw two people visiting their deceased loved ones there. The three passed several tombs until they finally reached the middle, where the person he was supposed to meet lay underground. That person’s gravestone looked fairly new and well-maintained. Sougo absorbed the name engraved on the gravestone.

_What a common name._ He first thought.

“China-girl’s husband passed away two years ago. He didn’t even get the chance to attend Ginpachi- _sensei’s_ wedding since he was bedridden that time,” Kondo said with a distant smile.

“His body was pale and sickly in the first place so it was no surprise when he collapsed one day.” Hijikata paused to take a smoke. “Yet we have never seen him stop smiling.”

“He was very optimistic. Even though he was sick, his smile always brightens everyone’s day. I kinda miss that smile of his.” Kondo watched the tree next to the gravestone. “There was one thing he regretted though.”

“Let me guess.” Sougo sat across the gravestone, not caring if his pants would get dirty, and reached an arm to brush his hand against the letters engraved on the cold stone. “He regretted being unable to stay with his family.”

“No, Sougo. That wasn’t it,” Kondo corrected. Sougo looked at him curiously. “The thing he regretted was not meeting you.”

The news undeniably stunned the sandy-haired sadist. He blinked, unsure of what to do or say.

“He heard lots of stories about you from China and…erm… _some_ of us,” Hijikata mumbled the last part and awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Why did he want to meet me?” asked Sougo curiously.

“Hmm… maybe he likes you?” Kondo guessed unsurely, giving him a knowing smile all the way.

“Oh.” The youngest one in the group looked back on the gravestone in front of him. “Kondo- _san,_ Hijikata- _san,_ can you two please give us a minute?” he asked the two without looking at them. The two complied and left him alone. They returned to where they parked the police car to patiently wait for him.

Sougo rested his head on the palm of his hand while he settled his elbow on his knee. As casual as he could, he greeted, “I’m Okita Sougo. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m… I’m China’s… your wife’s rival. And also… _your_ rival, too. I guess,” he added.

“Why did you want to meet me?” he asked, hearing no answer from the other party. He smirked to himself. He should be frightened if the other party _did_ give him an answer. Dead people could no longer speak. “I don’t know you. I’ve never met you. But, do you think we’ll get along if we meet each other?”

He closed his eyes as his lips tugged upward unknowingly. “Did you want to meet me before you died because you wanted to make sure that they will be in safe hands? Did you think I’ll be able to make her happy when you’re gone? Do you really trust a stranger that much? You only knew me from stories told by others. I’m a sadistic jackass who prioritizes myself more than anyone. I tend to plan Hijikata’s death on a daily basis. I am not scared of traumatizing anyone physically or mentally. I loved playing with people’s emotions… I am not capable of making anyone happy but myself.”

“If you think that I’ll be able to make her happy, then let me break it to you,” Sougo inhaled and continued, “I don’t.”

He opened his eyes as he proceeded on speaking. With a cocky smirk, he said, “I don’t plan on making a promise with you. You’re a stranger and a dead person. Heck, I feel like I’m crazy talking to a person who no longer exists, especially someone I had never met before. But…

… I want to thank you for trusting me.”

“ _I don’t need your thanks.”_

Sougo looked up, startled, at the sudden disembodied voice that spoke to him as the wind howled.

_“I need you to love them.”_

He was sure he was getting crazy.

* * *

Kenichi swung his legs playfully while sitting atop the bar table inside his Mami’s part-time workplace. The kind lady behind the table allowed him and sometimes even played with him when she was free. He was told she used to be her Mami’s classmate, too. She had long braided green hair and expressionless red eyes. He wondered how this sweet lady fell in love with the plain-looking Yamazaki. Or was she really? It was hard to decipher her blank look.

“Isn’t it getting too late? Shouldn’t you be going home?” asked Tama, the robot maid.

“I’m going home when the bar opens.” Kenichi took out a small box of sukonbu.

“I heard you were almost kidnapped. Is that true?” Tama asked emotionlessly as she continued wiping the wine glass she was holding with a white cloth.

The young boy thought back earlier when he was trying to annoy the sandy-haired stranger. “No, but I don’t think he’s a good guy after all,” replied Kenichi as he looked down on his swinging feet.

A small curve of a smile met Tama’s face. It was almost unrecognizable. “Why do you think so?” She pretended to be as casual as she could about it.

The two were suddenly enveloped in silence. The young boy was racking his brains on why he thought the sadist man was not a good guy. He didn’t like to sound shallow, but unfortunately, his reason _was_ shallow. “… He’s in love with Mami.”

Tama suppressed an incoming chuckle. Unlike his mother, Kenichi was observant; a trait she was sure he got from his father. “Is that the only reason he’s a bad person?”

Kenichi turned his body around slightly to look directly into Tama’s face. He looked ready to defend his reasons. “He’s really rude, too! And Mami, and Mayora, and Gorilla all look friendly with him! I don’t like it!”

“If those kind people like him, don’t you think he’s a good person?” Tama said with a soft smile.

The young boy stuttered a response in a loud, panicked voice. “T-That makes me not like him even more!”

“Kenichi, don’t raise your voice like that.”

The young boy and Tama both turned to look at where the voice came from. The reprimand sounded almost threatening. Shimura—no, _Kondo_ Tae stood on the doorframe with a smile both Kenichi and Tama knew was fake.

“S-Sorry, _Anego_ ,” Kenichi mumbled as he slowly slid down the bar table and landed on his two tiny feet.

“What are you two talking about anyway?” Otae asked as she approached them.

“Kenichi was talking about his kidn—” the robot maid started but stopped when Kagura’s son warningly waved his arms around in panic.

Otae, in turn, gave her full attention back at the child, wondering what it is he didn’t want her to find out. “Does this have something to do with my idiot gorilla of a husband?” she asked.

Kenichi forced a smile. “N-No, _Anego_!”

She stepped forward, threateningly. “Is that so?”

Sweat began forming on the boy’s forehead. “Y-Yes!”

A full minute of tensed silence followed after, and both Tama and Kenichi knew better than to test the smiling lady’s temper. Otae later giggled while covering her mouth with her hand. She patted the young boy’s head and said, “Okay, I believe you. But remember,” she leaned her head closer to whisper, “if _ever_ you know something that Isao does not want me to find out, you _tell me._ ”

Kenichi nervously nodded his head repeatedly.

“Great!” Otae clapped her hands together as she stood straight. “Now, don’t disturb Tama while she’s working. We’re going to open in five minutes. Run along now. Kids aren’t allowed in here. Say your goodbyes to your mom before going home. She’s at the back.”

The boy watched as _Anego_ turned into a corner and disappeared, along with her evil smile and threatening mood. His Mami also have that mood, especially when it’s time for her shift. Working for Otose for years must have influenced her.

* * *

Kenichi wondered, as he was walking home, what would his Papi do if he were still _here._ He was only three years old when the man he admires the most passed away. Though he didn’t really understand what _passing away_ mean, he assumed it meant he left for some place and won’t be returning in a really long time.

_“Take good care of your Mami for me, please.”_

Those were the last words he heard his Papi spoke. What place did he need to go to that badly that he had to left Mami behind?

Without realizing it, tears were starting to form on his eyes. “Papi… why did you leave us?” he mumbled as he tried to suppress a sniffle.

“Maybe he found a bunch of sexier women on wherever he is now.”

Kenichi turned his head around and saw the sadistic kidnapper he encountered earlier. “Mami is the sexiest woman alive!”

“Did your mom force you to say that or something?” Sougo teased as he patted Kenichi’s head once.

“Don’t touch me!” Kenichi’s previously forlorn demeanour quickly changed into aggravation.

After _meeting_ Kagura’s deceased husband, Sougo went back to the parked police car where he explained to his waiting companions his newly found resolve. No, it wasn’t the disembodied voice that influenced him on his decision. It was the child that the disembodied voice left behind. AndProbablyChinaButThatIsNotThePoint.

The mother and son duo were still hurting and he knew only he could save them from the emptiness the father left behind. Sougo wasn’t trying to fill it. Only the father would be able to fill it. He also wasn’t trying to be the replacement. Rather, he was going to create a new place where only he could fill in their hearts.

As the sadist stared into the younger one’s frustrated blue eyes, he knew his decision was on the right track.

“Why are you here? How did you find me?” Kenichi demanded as he posed into a fighting stance.

“I wasn’t looking for you.” The sandy-haired sadist pointed towards the general direction of Kagura’s workplace. “I was on my way over to see China-girl.”

The young child’s mind went blank. When Sougo noticed Kenichi’s sudden pause, he decided on ignoring him and advanced towards Otae’s bar. But he was stopped when Kenichi pulled the hem of his sleeve. “Papi…”

“What?”

Kenichi was crying once more. “Papi is going to come back! So please… don’t take Mami away!”

Sougo didn’t fail to hear the desperation in the innocent child’s voice. How was he supposed to explain to the five-year-old the concept of death? He exhaled and told him in his most monotonous voice, “I met your father just now. He isn’t going back. He’s in a place where no one could return from.”

Kenichi clenched his fist. “Liar! Papi is going to return! He only told me to take care of Mami! He didn’t say he wasn’t going to come back! He is coming back! Mami is lonely without him! I’M LONELY WITHOUT HIM! HE KNOWS THAT, THAT’S WHY HE’S GOING TO COME BACK!”

Non-stop tears rolled down the child’s eyes. For once, Sougo felt pity towards him. He wouldn’t be able to truly understand what the child was feeling, but he could slightly empathize with him. After all, he lost his parents when he was about the same age. Both Sougo and Kenichi were lucky that during those hard times, they had Mitsuba and Kagura respectively.

And now… he would be the _Kondo_ in Kenichi’s life.

* * *

Kagura’s brows twitched. _This isn’t happening. Oh, this is NOT happening._

Sougo—who had an annoyingly fake innocent smile on his face—and Kenichi—who obviously just finished crying—arrived as customers of Anego’s bar, urging her to bring them to a table.

Kagura, trying so hard to remain calm, assisted them to an empty table on the corner of the bar.

“Kenichi is not allowed here.”

“He’s with adult supervision.”

“Why is my son crying?”

“He was so inspired by me, he couldn’t help it.”

“I’m seriously suing you.”

“Not when I’m directly connected to the police.”

“I’m connected to a _politician.”_

“You mean the Prime Minister’s sister?”

Kagura slammed a hand on Sougo’s table. It cracked a bit, Sougo noted. “Leave.”

Sougo teasingly grabbed a handful of Kagura’s hair and gently pulled on it. “Make me.”

The tension inside the bar was getting heavier. The two’s heated rivalry were being reawakened. In a bar.

Chaos was definitely going to ensue.

“You should be thankful. Your poor son is crying on the streets, and, being the kind person that I am, decided on bringing him back to his mother.” Sougo patted a hand over Kenichi’s head, who suspiciously remained silent. “What kind of mother lets her son go home alone at this time of night?”

“How I raised my son is none of your business, you sadistic bastard!” Kagura slapped away Sougo’s hand that was still holding her hair. “Kenichi! Tell me what happened! You were fine a few minutes ago. Did this sadistic devil make you cry?”

“You mean ‘devilishly handsome sadist’?”

“Shut up!”

“I’m telling the truth. Kenichi’s crying because he—OWWW!” Sougo immediately held his aching spleen. The attacker, Kenichi, continued on sulking as if he didn’t do anything. “Damn brat!”

“Kenichi…” Kagura held out a hand to her son and tried to caress him but he just rudely slapped her hand away.

He never did this before. Was this… what Gin-chan called ‘The Rebellious Phase’?

Kagura inwardly panicked. She pulled Sougo’s hair violently and immediately pushed the blame on him. “What did you tell my son you useless son of a bitch?!”

In retaliation, Sougo also pulled her hair, although much less violent than her. “I only told him things you should have explained to him a long time ago!”

She pulled harder. “The hell you talking about?”

He pulled harder. “You can’t even do your parenting right! I’m here to show you how it is done, dumbass!” he yelled.

No words were exchanged afterwards. Only fists and kicks. Soon after, the bar was in chaos, and oddly enough, Otae wasn’t stopping it. If anything, she looked entertained.

“How nostalgic, isn’t it?” Tama told Otae.

“Indeed.” The brunette said with a smile.

Tables and chairs flew. Bottles of champagne and wine were smashed on walls. Panicked customers were running for the door. And aside from the bar staff and the two causes of the commotion, only two people were left on the store.

Kagura clawed her nails on Sougo’s face. Sougo hit Kagura’s jaw with an uppercut. Both of them were doing these out of instinct. A wash of nostalgia hit them as they continued on attacking each other. It wasn’t a good kind of nostalgia, and strangely, it wasn’t the bad kind either.

It was only when a flying green bottle of wine hit the back of Sougo’s head did the two finally stopped.

The interference came from the direction of the last customers who courageously stayed on the bar. Kagura and Sougo immediately recognized them.

“The hell’s this commotion about? Huh?!” An annoyed silver-haired man threateningly held another bottle of unopened wine and waved it in the air. “It’s so noisy, I can’t even hear myself thinking!”

“Gin-chan!”

“Danna!”

Hasegawa, who was hiding under the booth they were sitting on, peeked his head out. “I-Is the fight over?”

“If you guys are fighting about how parenting is done right, don’t do it in front of the child!” Gintoki angrily strode towards the fighting couple and pulled them apart. “I haven’t slept properly _in a year._  I hear baby cries every goddamn two hours. TWO HOURS. This is the only time I could relax. Do you know the sacrifice I made just so I could have this night out? I PROMISED MY WIFE I WON’T EAT PARFAIT FOR A MONTH JUST TO HAVE THIS NIGHT. JUST SO I COULD GET AWAY FROM THE CURSE OF THE CRYING BABY! THIS ONE NIGHT. JUST ONE NIGHT.” He shook the two violently (desperately). “GIVE ME BACK MY ONE NIGHT OF FREEDOM, YOU DUMBASSES!”

Sougo and Kagura just punched him simultaneously in the face.

“Disgusting,” Kagura started, “You left your wife alone with the cursed crying baby for the whole night?”

“You left the poor wife just to drink with a worthless Madao. That is _not_ how parenting is done,” Sougo said with a disgusted look on his face.

Gintoki stood straight up, nose bleeding, and pointed to a corner where Kenichi was emitting dark auras. “No. _That_ is _not_ how parenting is done!”

Kenichi remained silent as he hugged his knees closer to his chest. He doesn’t even care anymore. He just found out his Papi left _forever._ Death took his father from him. Papi… is never going to come back.

“Death, huh?” he mumbled under his breath.

Sougo and Kagura paled.

**Author's Note:**

> (1) – Hokutoshinken is the name of Ikumatsu’s shop in the series. According to the fansub, it means “Heart of the Dipper House”. Don’t know if it’s accurate though. See episode 39 for more details and KatsuMatsu interactions.  
> (2) – I think most of you already know by now, but Okita Sougo’s Japanese voice actor is Suzumura Kenichi.


End file.
